Theater Foundation grapples with city for stage use
By Sylvie Belmond belmond@theacorn.com

While the actors of “The Beatles Slept Here” melodrama rehearsed for the show they were hoping to perform at the High Street Arts Center in Moorpark next month, city officials said the group won’t be able to use the city-owned theater.

“We’re not singling out the (High Street Theatre) Foundation. We’ve canceled other activities scheduled in January as well,” said Hugh Riley, assistant city manager of Moorpark.

The city called off two other shows set for January because the old theater has sound system wiring problems that are scheduled to be fixed and the project may take longer than expected, said Riley. The City Council recently voted to pay for the new system.

Other issues also exist, said theater manager L.J. Stevens, who initially vetoed plans for the melodrama because organizers didn’t have a license to perform Beatles music for a paying audience.

The Beatles’ music licensing issue is touchy––some songs are about to enter the realm of public domain, but Paul McCartney is fighting in court to extend the copyrights, Stevens said. As a city entity, the theater must be indemnified against liability in case of problems, Riley added.

“We will do a melodrama in any event,” said Ralph Mauriello, president of the foundation. The group has obtained the license, and the nonprofit group is capable of providing its own sound system, said Mauriello, who indicated the foundation would prefer to use the High Street Arts Center, but is currently seeking an alternative site for the show.

The Broadcast Music Inc. license allows the foundation to perform Beatles music. It will cost $150 for the year. The foundation is expected to pay 0.3 percent of gross sales, Mauriello said.

The foundation will continue to support the city-owned arts center because the group wants to preserve a community theater, he said.

“Stevens was hired by the council to bring the theater up to higher standards and create a viable venue that can sustain itself in the long run,” said former Councilmember Clint Harper, who has been involved in the discussions and has applied to serve on the city arts commission.

“When we hired her we knew there were going to be some ruffled feathers, but if the theater community in town starts to fight among itself, then they’re all going to lose,” Harper said.

“I understand (the foundation’s) passion for the theater, but it’s a delicate situation,” said Stevens, who indicated that other community theaters are facing similar challenges.

Venues such as the Madrid Theater in Canoga Park are in danger of closing because they can’t sustain themselves financially, Stevens said.

The 433-seat theater owned by the city of Los Angeles was a shady porn cinema house that closed after the 1994 Northridge earthquake. The facility reopened in 1998 as part of a revitalization effort for the Sherman Way business corridor, but slow box office sales and arguments between government entities may ultimately spell doom for the Madrid.